


You May Begin

by Kill3rWhal3D1ck



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-02 15:44:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14548026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kill3rWhal3D1ck/pseuds/Kill3rWhal3D1ck
Summary: Cheerleader Lin Yanjun feels like the heavens are against him when he sprains his wrist nearing the end of his undergraduate life. Not only is he unable to participate in cheerleading activities- his final-year examinations are affected.When he meets exam invigilator You Zhangjing though, he realises that taking a break from his regular life isn't so bad after all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic ever! Let me know how you feel about it!

#Yanjun#

15 minutes to 11am.

Yanjun stepped into the examination room. A lone exam invigilator was already inside, arranging the exam papers and reviewing the student list. He looked up upon hearing Yanjun entering the room and smiled.

A warm smile that reached his expressive brown eyes and brightened his handsome heart-shaped face.

Yanjun's heart jumped a little. It was the same cute invigilator from last week. He was secretly thrilled to see him again though he knew he shouldn't be. His mind should be on his exam.

"Lin Yanjun?" asked the invigilator after checking the student list.

Yanjun nodded in the affirmative, trying to quieten the thrill he felt at being recognised by the invigilator. Of course he would know your name. It's his fucking job.

"Just have a seat here? Are you aware that you've been given an extra 30 minutes for this paper?"

Yanjun nodded.

"Great." Another lovely smile. "We'll be starting in a while."

As Yanjun took his seat and prepared his stationery, he thought about how perhaps getting injured days before exam season wasn't all that bad. During cheerleading practice he had sprained the wrist of his dominant hand. As such he was given a special time allowance for all of his exams. More time to write with his non-dominant hand. All students who received special allowances sat for their papers at an exam venue separate from their peers. The special exam venue was usually a single room requiring only a single invigilator to ensure the smooth running of the exam.

Yanjun stole a glance at the cute invigilator, hoping he wouldn't notice. He seemed about the same age as he was. He looked like university kid at least. His smart casual clothes were slightly awkward on him and his wavy brown hair needed a trim. As he watched the invigilator direct the other students to their seats, tried to push away thoughts of running his fingers through those soft brown locks.

#Zhangjing#

Everyone is here THANK GOD. 5 minutes to 11am!

Zhangjing hurriedly greeted the small room of students and proceeded to read off the exam protocol issued by the Registrar's Office.

"The time is 11am. You may begin."

The sound of papers flipping and pens clicking followed his final statement.

Zhangjing took a small sigh of relief. For the next 2 odd hours it would just be a waiting game.

He ran a finger down the student list again, pausing at the name-

Lin Yanjun.

He didn't need to consult the list to know the name of the first student to enter the exam venue. Zhangjing remembered him from last week. Tall, handsome and, curiously, very attentive of Zhangjing's movements. While the other students would spend the time leading up to their paper doing some last-minute revision, Yanjun's eyes would instead be trained on his person. Not a particularly subtle lad.

The attention was confusing but pleasing.

Though the students in the room were strangers to him, Zhangjing felt a sort of fondness for all of them. It wasn't too long ago that he was in their position, sitting for final-year exams. When he received an e-mail from his alma mater asking interested nursing graduates to work as temporary exam invigilators, he leapt at the chance.

Zhangjing was tasked with invigilating students who have special requirements that necessitates them taking their exam apart from other students. These students might require medical attention during exams, need an environment with less distractions, have additional time allowances, require the use of a computer in an otherwise paper-based exam- the list goes on. The university needed nurses to invigilate such students. As such, nursing graduates were always in demand for invigilation jobs during exam season.

Every half an hour so Zhangjing would walk up and down the room to supposedly to check for any signs of cheating. He was admittedly a little lax in this task. The students were too honest to cheat, he was sure. As he passed by Yanjun's table, the silver-haired boy looked up from his exam to give him a quick smile.

Zhangjing couldn't help the smile that leapt to his lips.

#Yanjun#

Yanjun stretched in his seat. His last exam in this damned university was finally over. He watched as the cute invigilator collected the papers from the other students and thanked them. His teeth were uneven and he smiled so wide you could see his gums but goodness what a smile of pure joy. His eyes glinted with a sort of amusement too. Perhaps he too felt it odd to be invigilating for students who were not much younger than himself.

An idea flitted across Yanjun's mind. He sucked in his lips slightly.

Should he?

Before he could come to a level-headed decision, the invigilator was at his table.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, smiling warmly at Yanjun while inserting his completed exam paper into a manila folder.

"Much better now that this is done," Yanjun replied. His heart skipped a few beats faster.

It was now or never.

"Still annoyed that my wrist is sprained though," Yanjun said, tentatively leading the conversation to where he hoped it would end up.

"Ahh that does suck. How did it happen?"

It's working.

"At cheerleading practice? I'm a cheerleader. We were preparing for the upcoming university fundraiser." Yanjun dug into his bag and pulled out a crumpled publicity flyer for said fundraiser.

"Whoaa a cheerleader? That's really cool." He took the flyer and gave it a read. "Oh my gosh I remember being part of this when I was a student." His wide toothy grin was just the push Yanjun needed.

"Do you wanna go? I don't think my wrist will heal in time for me to perform so I'll be watching my teammates perform instead. If you feel like going I could come with you and show you around."

Yanjun could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Did he really just ask out a guy he had just met?

The invigilator's eyes widened before he giggled and declared suddenly "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW MY NAME.” He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly then burst into laughter. Yanjun couldn't remember the last time he felt so charmed.

"25th April right? I'm free then. Let's go! I'm You Zhangjing by the way."

#Chaoze#

Hours later at cheer pactice, Yanjun's cheerleading captain and best friend Lin Chaoze would be wondering why Yanjun was in such a buoyant mood. It was definitely for the better though. Yanjun had been feeling quite crestfallen since his injury. He would be missing out the last performance of his undergraduate life after all. Chaoze didn't dwell too much on this mysterious mood change though. The relief of completing his last exam must have had a more powerful effect on Yanjun than expected. Yes that must be it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple date becomes more eventful than originally expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sprinkle of ZhengtingxChaoze never hurt anyone.

#Zhangjing#

Zhangjing smiled, taking in the atmosphere around him. How is it possible to feel so nostalgic for a place he left just a year ago? Everything was familiar. The student-run stalls lining the campus green. The casually dressed undergrads in badly designed T-shirts. The excited voices in the air mingled with the sound of laughter. The blue and white college colours splashed across posters and banners. Everything was familiar but it didn't feel the same as it did when he was a student here. Zhangjing regarded the environment around him with a certain wistfulness. As much as he looked like every other student at the fundraiser, he was not one of them.

But for the time-being, it was nice to pretend.

One thing he did not miss however was the damned heat. Zhangjing tried to ignore the beads of sweat forming on his back. He was glad that he had the sense to pack some perfume today. He was gonna need it.

15 minutes to 11am.

He checked his phone.

**Lin Yanjun: I'm gonna be late. I'm so sorry.**

Zhangjing sighed in annoyance. He couldn't help but feel faintly amused though. How could someone who lived on campus be late for a school event?

Oh well, Zhangjing thought. Time for breakfast part 2.

Most of the stalls selling food were doing so to raise funds. It was all overpriced but the proceeds would be going to good causes so he didn't mind too much. Zhangjing was contemplating his third brownie when he heard a voice call his name.

"NURSE ZHANGJING!"

Zhangjing whirled around and was met with the radiant smile of Zhu Zhengting.

"Zhengting!!" Zhangjing beamed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping my friends out at the stalls!" Zhengting replied. "So nice to see you outside the hospital! Y'all!" He turned to his 2 friends. "This was the nurse I was telling you about!"

Zhangjing smiled bashfully and weakly refused the younger boy's praise. Zhengting was a nursing student on attachment in the same ward Zhangjing worked. Zhangjing had an undeniable soft spot for students in the hospital. He remembered what it was like starting from the bottom and it hurt his heart to see fellow healthcare staff treat students harshly. He tried to give them a hand whenever he could. When Zhangjing found students in the Clean Utility struggling to locate pre-requisites, he would help them out. When the nurse manager wasn't looking he would offer students chocolate. And when students cry because the stress of working was too much, Zhangjing would share a silly story from his days as a junior nurse to get them laughing at him instead.

The students of Zhengting's batch needed a written evaluation from a nursing staff they worked closely with. When Zhengting asked Zhangjing if he could write his evaluation, Zhangjing was happy to help. From watching Zhengting work he could see that the boy was earnest, if a little disorganised. His honest evaluation had apparently boosted Zhengting's overall evaluation and Zhengting has been exceedingly fond of Zhangjing eversince.

Zhangjing was chatting with the bubbly nursing student when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so so sorry I'm late. I overslept."

Yanjun grinned sheepishly at Zhangjing from behind his shades. His bright blue shirt contrasted nicely with his silver hair and his black jeans looked good on him. Zhangjing tried to ignore the way his heart swelled upon seeing him.

"Well your oversleeping made me overeat. Don't you realise how your actions affect others?" Zhangjing retorted, pretending to glare at Yanjun while fighting the urge to smile. Handsome people should not be allowed to have dimples by the way. It's simply not fair to the rest of us.

Yanjun chuckled before turning his attention to the nursing students, greeting each of them in turn.

"OH MY GOD," Zhengting exclaimed. "I just realised! You're from the Langfang Firewalkers!"

"Well yes, but not at the moment," Yanjun replied, holding up his right hand, which was in a plastic splint.

"A sprain," Zhangjing added.

"That's a real shame," said Zhengting, brows drawn together in genuine concern.

"Right?" Yanjun checked the time on his phone and winced slightly. "But you know what's a bigger shame? Missing the Firewalkers performance WHICH IS IN 4 MINUTES COME ON!"

Yanjun beckoned to Zhengting and friends, grabbed Zhangjing's hand and started running. Zhangjing felt it was a bit unnecessary for Yanjun to lead him towards the campus green. He knew the way after all, he used to study here. But he didn't complain. The rush of weaving through the crowd hand-in-hand with this stern-looking but spirited boy made his heart race.

You don't have to be a student to make new memories here, it seemed.

#Yanjun#

Yanjun wasn't sure what made him take Zhangjing by the hand but he didn't regret it. And now that they'd reached the campus green (a mere minute before the Langfang Firewalkers came on) he was unwilling to let go. But he had to. He didn't want to come off as greasy.

They had lost Zhangjing's nursing juniors in the crowd. Still breathing heavily, Zhangjing whipped out his phone to text one of them a quick apology. Then he turned to Yanjun and slapped his arm.

"Running! ...Is cancelled!" Zhangjing declared, in between taking deep breaths. His soft brown hair was a mess from the run and his cheeks were flushed from the sudden exertion.

"It was the only way to beat the crowd! We're right up front now! See!" Yanjun replied.

"Not," Zhangjing replied, "a good enough reason for surprise exercise."

Yanjun stifled a chuckle. As the older boy tried to fix his messy hair, Yanjun briefly allowed himself to drink in the sight of Zhangjing. He was dressed simply in a white shirt and dark gray jeans. And now that Yanjun was standing so close to him, he realised how good Zhangjing smelled. A clean citrus scent with vanilla undertones. He secretly hoped Zhangjing would wear this scent more often. It suited him. Yanjun frowned slightly at the way Zhangjing was squinting in the bright sunlight. He took off his shades, stepped in front of Zhanjing and carefully placed them on his face. Before Zhangjing could protest, a group of boys dressed in bright blue and white uniforms rushed to the centre of the campus green, grabbing everyone's attention.

"ARE YOU REAADYYYYY??"

The crowd roared in response to Lin Chaoze's voice amplified 10 times over with his megaphone. The captain of one of the top cheerleading squads in the province had a real talent for bringing a lukewarm crowd to life.

Yanjun felt a twinge of regret watching his teammates hype up the crowd and getting in formation for their routine. If only he had been more careful during practice that day. Then maybe his hand wouldn’t be in a splint and he’d be performing with the rest of his team. Yanjun admitted to letting that get him down this morning. He had tried to sleep off his disappointment with himself but ended up oversleeping and being late to meet Zhangjing. He wasn’t proud of himself for that. This date was his idea and he was late for it. Yanjun was thankful that Zhangjing wasn’t actually upset with him. Luckily for him, Zhangjing seemed like the easygoing sort.

Yanjun snuck a glance at Zhangjing. He had his hands cupped around his mouth and was chanting “FIREWALKERS! FIREWALKERS!” with the rest of the crowd. His face was alight with excitement and Yanjun couldn’t help but smile.

No more regretting. If he wasn’t among the spectators he wouldn’t be here with Zhangjing.

#Zhengting#

Zhengting was concerned that he lost Zhangjing for about 5 seconds. Then the Firewalkers arrived and all thought of his nursing senior was pushed from his mind.

An unobstructed view of the Firewalkers. Zhengting patted himself on the back for elbowing his way to the front of the crowd. His friends Justin and Chengcheng were less thrilled though. They endured many of stares while squeezing past everyone but Zhengting paid no mind. How else would they get such a prime view? As the boys in blue and white jogged to the centre of the campus green, Zhengting’s gaze immediately latched onto the captain.

Lin Chaoze was thunder and lightning condensed. He was the shortest among his teammates but had the most electrifying presence. A natural performer. Zhengting was already bouncing on the soles of his feet, his heart beating fast. Chaoze looked amazing as always in his cheerleading uniform. His black hair was styled to look casually tousled and the bright sunlight bounced off his light brown skin beautifully. The way his eyes looked when he smiled.

And his ass. Wow.

Zhengting was completely enamoured to say the least.

Music boomed across the campus green as the Langfang Firewalkers launched into their routine. Zhengting roared with rest of the crowd as he watched the older boy get thrown into the air and perform other stunts with his team. They were performing a routine they did for the Inter-Varsity Cheerleading Competition earlier this year. Zhengting knew because he was there, partly in support of the Firewalkers but mostly for his little Superman.

Just thinking of the secret nickname he had for Chaoze brought a bit of warmth to Zhengting's face.

Chaoze's small build and flexibility made him perfect for the role of flyer. Mid-air tricks and flips seemed effortless to him.

Zhengting marveled openly at Chaoze's performance, recording it all on his phone.

"Is this a Firewalkers fancam or a Lin Chaoze focus fancam?" Justin drawled. Zhengting slapped his best friend's arm repeatedly but continued filming. Justin had never passed up an opportunity to tease him about his crush. Zhengting might have been more annoyed if it wasn’t for the fact that Justin allowed himself to be dragged to every Firewalkers competition or performance Zhengting had the time for. Chengcheng would only entertain Zhengting's requests in this area if there was promise of free food.

Zhengting held his phone with as steady a hand as he could manage while being jostled by the crowd behind him. He checked the screen to ensure Chaoze was still within the frame and realised that the image of Chaoze on his phone was becoming larger and larger.

He looked up and found Lin Chaoze standing right in front of him, one hand outstretched.

“JUSTIN RECORD THIS FOR ME AND MAKE IT GOOD OR I SWEAR TO GOD,” Zhengting yelled, practically thrusting his phone into Justin’s confused face before flashing Chaoze a brilliant smile and taking his outstretched hand.

#Chaoze#

The end of their routine was met with cheers and a rousing applause. Lin Chaoze held the high V position for moment longer before allowing his hands to drop to his sides. He shot his teammates encouraging smiles, letting them know he was satisfied with their performance.

But it was not over yet. The fundraiser organisers asked Chaoze to have a games segment at the end of their cheerleading performance. Specifically, a games segment for couples. It was an open secret that a not insignificant amount of funds to run university events came from a state-backed matchmaking organisation. To combat the country's increasing single population and low birth rate, the government thought it was a good idea to encourage romantic relationships, particularly among the tertiary educated. The whole idea was completely problematic but no one could deny that free funding in exchange for a few "romance-inducing" activities was a really good deal. Though it was a pain, Chaoze decided to oblige the organisers. The plan was to pull 3 couples from the crowd to compete in for a prize. When he called for volunteers though, nobody stepped forward.

Shit.

Why is it when couples are called to display their relationship, they shy away? But in public places where nobody is interested in couple action, they come in full force? Chaoze tried not to glare at the crowd that he knew contained a few couples.

“The winners will receive a voucher for Haidilao hotpot!” he announced on his megaphone, hoping that the prize was attractive enough to encourage 3 couples to join this spontaneous game.

A brown-haired boy in white raised his hand and waved enthusiastically. A volunteer! And along with him was-

Lin Yanjun?

Chaoze thought for a moment if the organisers would be alright with same-sex couples joining the games but since he was desperate and the crowd was getting restless, he felt he had no choice. Linong had managed to convince a classmate and his girlfriend to volunteer. Now just one more couple…

Chaoze swiftly scanned the crowd and his gaze rested on a familiar face. Chaoze had never learnt his name but he was a consistent supporter at competitions. He was sure he wouldn’t refuse. Chaoze jogged up to the supporter and offered his hand, silently praying that his judgement was correct.

The supporter looked thrilled and took his hand almost immediately.

“I’M LIN CHAOZE!” he yelled, hoping his introduction could be heard above the noise of the crowd.

“I KNOW! I’M ZHU ZHENGTING,” the supporter replied.

Chaoze was struck by how handsome Zhengting was up close. Perfect bone structure, perfect skin and his dark blonde hair was the perfect shade for him.

He must be quite popular with the girls.

They moved to the centre of the campus green. Chaoze could see Linong already holding a microphone, ready to preside over the games.

“Are you cool with us being a team? There’ll be a lot of contact and I’m kind of sweaty right now,” Chaoze said, eyeing Zhengting’s pristine well-ironed pink shirt. In comparison, Chaoze’s sweat-soaked cheerleading uniform looked like a crime.

“NO PROBLEM AT ALL!” Zhengting replied, maybe a bit too loudly.

“LET’S BEGIN!” Linong’s excited voice boomed over the speakers. "3 TEAMS WILL COMPETE IN 3 ROUNDS OF GAMES FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN-“ Linong squinted at the voucher in hand, “30 PERCENT OFF AT HAIDILAO!”

The crowd cheered. Chaoze saw the Yanjun’s brown-haired friend pump his fist in the air. Yanjun himself however was looking at his friend in disbelief. Chaoze chuckled. He probably didn’t think a 30% discount was a good enough incentive to be playing embarrassing couple games in front of the whole school.

“FIRST GAME! SQUATS COMPETITION! ONE MEMBER WILL CARRY THE OTHER. THE TEAM THAT CAN DO THE MOST NUMBER OF SQUATS IN 15 SECONDS WINS!”

The countdown started and the 6 volunteers scrambled to assume their positions.

“Are you okay with carrying me?” Chaoze asked. It made more sense for the taller boy to carry him but Chaoze worried if Zhengting could perform the squats. His build was quite slender.

“Don’t worry!” Zhengting replied brightly. "I’m stronger than I look.” The blonde shot Chaoze a wink before sweeping him off his feet princess-style. Chaoze wrapped his arms around Zhengting’s neck, all the while feeling oddly conscious of how close their faces were.

Nearby, Chaoze could hear Yanjun’s friend fussing over Yanjun.

“You can’t carry me! I’m too heavy and I don’t want to hurt your hand,” the brown-haired guy protested.

“Zhangjing come on the timer is about to go off. I won’t put pressure on my wrist I promise,” Yanjun replied exasperatedly.

“3! 2! 1! BEGIN!!!” Linong yelled.

Chaoze’s arms tightened around Zhengting’s neck as he felt his body being lowered and raised, lowered and raised. Zhengting was doing surprisingly well. His brows were furrowed in concentration and sweat started to form on his brow.

“You’re doing great,” Chaoze told him. For a moment, Zhengting’s stern expression melted into a bright smile.

At the end of 15 seconds, Zhengting carefully set Chaoze down before collapsing on his back, looking quite satisfied with his effort.

"AND THE WINNERS OF THE FIRST ROUND ARE....! ZHU ZHENGTING AND CAPTAIN LIN!"

Cheers rang through the air. Chaoze took Zhenting's hands and pulled him to his feet, grinning broadly. "YOU DID IT!" Chaoze yelled. Without warning, Zhengting enveloped the cheer captain in a tight hug and lifted him off the ground in one motion. "NO, WE DID IT!!"

Chaoze couldn't quite understand why his face felt so warm after that hug.

#Yanjun#

Yanjun felt disproportionately bummed out at having lost. And by one squat too! He was so close.

He was still on his back when Zhangjing's face entered his line of sight, blocking his view of the sky.

"You need to work out more."

Yanjun said nothing, glaring daggers at Zhangjing. "You talk too much for someone who didn't have to lift a finger during the game. I had to lift your whole body!"

"I didn't make the rules." Zhangjing replied in a sing-song voice, eyes glinting mischievously.

Yanjun looked away. To be honest, despite the loss, he had secretly enjoyed the game. Holding Zhangjing tightly against his chest. Feeling Zhangjing's breath lightly tickle his ear as he gave Yanjun annoying updates of the other couple's progress. Inhaling Zhangjing's perfume with every breath. Having Zhangjing's face mere centimeters from his own. Yanjun wished Zhangjing would quit his habit of licking his lips though. It was unreasonable to expect Yanjun to focus with those moist lips so close to his face. Does this boy not have lip balm?

Yanjun was grateful Zhangjing couldn’t read the thoughts running through his head.

"ROUND 2!" Linong's amplified voice jolted Yanjun from his train of thought. "I THINK WE ALL KNOW THIS ONE: THE POCKY-EATING GAME!! COUPLES WILL EAT A SINGLE POCKY FROM EITHER END AND THE COUPLE WITH THE SHORTEST REMAINING POCKY WINS!"

The sound of whistling and excited giggles washed over crowd. Yanjun groaned. He made a mental note to find out which of his cheerleading teammates had decided on these games. It was probably Linong. Linong seemed to be enjoying this entire debacle way too much.

"Yanjun."

Yanjun turned to Zhangjing and was surprised to find him unsmiling and completely serious.

"I'm completely serious. We need to win the next 2 rounds in order to win the prize."

Yanjun nodded. Haidilao really brought out Zhangjing's competitive side. Which was fine since Yanjun was a competitive person too.

The 3 couples stood face to face, a Pocky's length apart. Yanjun and Zhangjing were balancing a strawberry flavoured pocky between them with their hands on each other's shoulders. Zhangjing gave him a determined nod.

Yanjun closed his eyes for a moment and cleared his head of all Zhangjing thirst thoughts. They were in this to win.

"3! 2! 1! BEGIN!!"

Yanjun and Zhangjing each took a sizeable bite of the Pocky from either end. Now that the Pocky was less than an index finger in length, things got trickier.

Zhangjing kept hesitating to take further bites. Yanjun sighed in frustration. This was getting nowhere. With his left hand he cupped the side of Zhangjing's face to keep him from fidgeting. Zhangjing made a sound of surprise. Yanjun took small bite after small bite, ignoring the increasing screams and cheers emanating from the crowd, ignoring Zhangjing's grip on his shoulders (which was starting to hurt), ignoring the racing of his own heart. Without thinking too much, Yanjun leaned in and pressed his lips lightly against Zhangjing's before taking the final bite.

The crowd went wild. Yanjun dropped his hand from Zhangjing's face, suddenly acutely aware of what he'd done. Zhangjing removed the final bit of Pocky from between his teeth and handed it to Linong. He opened his mouth as if to say something to Yanjun but stopped short. An undeniable blush was spreading across his cheeks but Yanjun could see hurt and something approaching anger in Zhangjing's eyes. Was he upset with him? Yanjun couldn't think clearly at the moment though. His heart was still pounding in his chest. Did he really just kiss Zhangjing in front of the whole school?

"1 CENTIMETER!! THE WINNERS OF THE 2ND ROUND ARE LIN YANJUN AND YOU ZHANGJING!"

More cheers from the crowd. Yanjun smiled sheepishly at a dead-eyed Zhanjing. "Uuhh.. We won?"

#Zhangjing#

The final game passed in a blur. Zhengting's team and the other team both won the game making Zhengting's team the overall winners.

"Lin Yanjun," Zhangjing said curtly. "Can I talk to you?"

He didn't wait for a reply before walking off the green. He didn't turn back either, fully expecting Yanjun to be right behind him.

Zhangjing found a quiet spot behind a building and stopped. He turned to look at Yanjun, who looked back at him worriedly.

"I'm sorry I kissed you back there," Yanjun blurted out. "I didn't know if you were up for it but I went ahead anyway."

Zhangjing continued glaring at him then sighed.

"Yanjun, I'm gonna be honest. I like you, I really do. And you probably picked up on that. But that isn't a free pass to kiss me without asking if I'd be okay with it. I couldn't even tell you off for it in the campus green just now cos so many people were watching and cheering you on."

"Do I want to kiss you one day?" Zhanjing continued. "Yes. But it has to be in a situation we're both comfortable. Consent should always be the absolute first thing on your mind before you want to get intimate with someone. I need you to remember that okay?"

Yanjun nodded silently, guilt written across his face. "I'm sorry. What I did was impulsive and I mistook your interest as permission and that was wrong and I'll never do it again. I promise."

Yanjun hung his head and in a quieter voice asked, "Let me make it up to you?"

Zhangjing sighed again, then stretched open his arms for a hug. It was so hard to say mad at this boy after his genuine apologies. Zhangjing was relieved that Yanjun understood where he was coming from. If Yanjun was the kind of person who didn't respect consent even after being educated on it, Zhangjing would have had to drop him. Now only time would tell if Yanjun would make good of his promise. Yanjun stepped forward and embraced Zhangjing. The stood in silence for a while, wrapped in each others arms.

"Haidilao is on you," Zhangjing murmered. When Yanjun chuckled Zhangjing could feel it through his chest and it warmed his heart.

"Of course.”

\---------

While waiting for the bus back home Zhangjing belatedly realised that he still had Yanjun's sunglasses hanging from the collar of his shirt. Zhangjing smiled faintly.

He's gonna have to return them at some point.

#Chaoze#

“I still can’t believe we won!” Chaoze exclaimed. "Thanks for doing this with me! I had a lot of fun eventhough we're not a couple."

"NOT YET," Justin quipped, earning him an elbow in the side from Zhengting.

“I had a lot of fun too,” Zhengting replied, ignoring Justin’s mock groan of pain.

“So umm,” Chaoze started, feeling suddenly nervous for some reason. “When are you free? Shall we get dinner together using this voucher?”

“Absolutely!”

They exchanged phones to enter their numbers. When Chaoze received his phone back, he noticed the cute way Zhengting had saved his own contact.

“Why did you add crown and heart emojis to your name?” Chaoze asked.

“Because he wants to be king of your heart CAN WE GO NOW??” Chengcheng said, doing nothing to hide his annoyance.

“WELL my friends have been very helpful thus far!” Zhengting declared. He swung an arm around Justin’s neck, another around Chengcheng’s neck and proceeded to physically steer them away from Chaoze. “I’LL TEXT YOU?” he called over his shoulder, smiling as brightly as ever.

“OKAY!” Chaoze replied, waving goodbye to Zhengting, heart swelling at the prospect of meeting him again soon.

“AND SEND ME THE VIDEO OKAY?” The idea came to him as an afterthought and Chaoze wasn’t sure if Zhengting heard him. The 3 friends were already halfway to the bus stop. Surprisingly, Zhengting turned around and shot him another signature wink.

“Captain Lin?” Quanzhe asked. “Do you need some shade and water? You look flushed.”

\------

15 minutes to 11pm.

Chaoze lay down in his bed, wincing slightly. His muscles were aching after a week of hardcore cheer practice. They had to cancel all practice during exam season despite the day of the fundraiser performance drawing nearer. The same evening the final papers were completed, cheer practice resumed at twice the normal intensity to make up for lost time. He was thankful for his team for pulling through.

Chaoze checked his phone. Zhengting had sent him the video he asked for. He was excited to see it. It was always interesting to see the day’s events play out from the spectator’s perspective. Chaoze noticed how the the first half of the video was focused exclusively on his performance. He saw how Zhengting would sneak glances at him during the games when Chaoze wasn’t looking. He noticed the colour in Zhengting’s cheeks as they were playing the Pocky game. He smiled seeing Zhengting jump in glee when Chaoze managed to successfully guess which hand belonged to Zhengting while Chaoze was blindfolded. How had he not managed to notice any of this when he was right next to Zhengting? Chaoze felt a new and exciting feeling bubbling in his chest.

Chaoze turned in for the night, suddenly really, really glad that only two couples had volunteered this afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not-so-fun fact: Government-backed matchmaking companies who provided funding for weird couple-themes activities in exchange for funding was an actual thing in my old uni.


End file.
